Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching

In Effective Supervision, Robert J. Marzano, Tony Frontier, and David Livingston show school and district-level administrators how to set the priorities and support the practices that will help all teachers become expert teachers. Their five-part framework is based on what research tells us about how expertise develops. When these five conditions are attended to in a systematic way, teachers do improve their skills:

* A well-articulated knowledge base for teaching
* Opportunities for teachers to practice specific strategies or behaviors and to receive feedback
* Opportunities for teachers to observe and discuss expertise
* Clear criteria for success and help constructing professional growth and development plans
* Recognition of the different stages of development progressing toward expertise.

The focus is on developing a collegial atmosphere in which teachers can freely share effective practices with each other, observe one another s classrooms, and receive focused feedback on their teaching strategies. The constructive dynamics of this approach always keep in sight the aim of enhancing students well-being and achievement. As the authors note, The ultimate criterion for expert performance in the classroom is student achievement. Anything else misses the point.